Recent reviews by gokens

Neat game, but no longer runs without some work.

Option 1: set up a windows firewall rule that blocks Scanner Sombre from connecting to the internet
Option 2: disconnect your computer from the internet
Option 3: hex edit the program executable, which does something I don't understand but somehow fixes it.

Shouldn't be required, but at least there are some solutions now.

It's excellent at what it's trying to do. 3D puzzles where you set what "down" means. if that appeals to you then get the game, it's a cool concept and it's done well.

One of the best puzzle games ever made. It doesn't have the story and character of Portal, but the puzzles are first rate and the soundtrack is really chill atmosphere.

I just replayed it 8 years later and I had forgotten *just* enough to enjoy it again.

It's a surprisingly satisfying game and a massive upgrade from Creeper World 3 which was already a very good game.

Not only does CW4 move to 3D with actual fluid physics, but the gameplay also took some interesting steps forward making niche towers suddenly essential. The main thing is that in Creeper World 3 it was easy to develop a dominant strategy that mostly worked in every situation while CW4's new gameplay mechanics add even more ways for map makers to develop interesting scenarios. Also CW4 is generally a massive upgrade in quality of life with only niggling annoyances that you mostly won't notice if you didn't play CW3.

CW4's udpates make CW a much more robust strategy game while retaining how satisfying it is to remove creeper from existence. If you've enjoyed some strategy games in the past then you'll likely enjoy this one.

I recommend it if you're into the idea of a narrative heavy sci-fi adventure game.

The game could definitely use a layer of polish (especially some of the puzzles) but the creepy space story is very engaging. If it's your kind of game and you can forgive some poor gameplay design then you'll love it, but it's not good enough for people to leave their comfort zone for.

An interesting story with an interesting art style and some tricky puzzles. A very memorable experience with memorable music. Phenomenal Foley work (i.e., the sounds of the events).

This game isn't for you if you hate the art style or dislike puzzles.

But if you like puzzles, and if the odd art style and odd story telling method appeal to you, then I can't recommend this game strongly enough. This is one of those games that I wish I could play for the first time again (like Subnautica).

I liked it. Unfortunately I forgot to review it at the time, so I can't go into much detail. It's definitely not a perfect game, but I'm glad I played it.

if the trailer appeals to you then I expect you'll probably enjoy it and I recommend checking it out.

I can't recommend it.

The game has a number of "quests" that are each a series of minesweeper boards (with occasional "special" areas like shops). You start with a bit of health (generally 5), and each time you uncover a monster they hit your health (with a dice roll between minimum and maximum damage which can one shot you in later stages even in the first quest). At shops and in chests on the board there are items (among other mechanics) that you can use to interact with the game beyond clicking on cells.

Casual Mode is just winnable minesweeper and there's no need (or advantage) to interacting with the game itself (unless you're not good at minesweeper).

Normal Mode and above is a gauntlet of minesweeper RNG. There's 10 boards, and the majority of them will have a necessary guess. This is where the game's mechanics come in: roguelike item RNG for different ways to survive those necessary guesses. Unfortunately it doesn't really work.

Aside from needing polish, it doesn't feel like there was a coherent vision. The game should be about smart play allowing you to overcome the random guessing. The roguelike should mean that each run you do it in a different way. But in practice the roguelike just adds RNG on RNG. It feels like they just threw in every idea they could come up with.

Every single loss will come from being "unlucky". Skilled play matters, but not nearly as much as it should.

Overall it just doesn't feel fun.

Overall I liked it; it definitely has its rough edges but the uniqueness of it makes up for those. Its movement system is very different and it took a while for my fingers to stop being clumsy (during which the game felt bad). After I got used to the movement it went from "interesting but not fun" to "generally pretty fun and I can forgive its failings because it's interesting").

Good
Indie charm
Unique movement system (like MO: Astray's jumping and only the jumping)
A lot of good difficulty (the kind that encourages skill and is easier the second time around)
Acceptable metroidvania
Trials of Fear's ending adds some narrative satisfaction

Meh
True final boss has lots of bad difficulty (stunlocks started by enemies spawning inside you)
True final boss also has lots of really satisfying difficulty (but hard to notice behind the unfair deaths)
Probably needs a controller

Bad
Basic attack requires a half second of charge which can be really awkward
Items aren't on map (so when you get a movement upgrade it's impossible to remember what items you can now get)
Game is filled with symbolism but light on narrative (and, personally, it's overblown) (Trials of Fear adds narrative ending which helps a bit)
Some situations lead to stunlocks
True final boss too easy to miss
Some of the difficulty still feels unfair even after I've beaten it

Altogether I recommend it but not without caveats (namely that it's got some rough edges like most indie games, but it makes up for it with interesting gameplay).

It was a bit easy for my tastes but excellent music and atmosphere kept my attention to the end.

It's not as much of a huge push forward as the original Ori, and I'm not sure which I'd recommend more, but I can definitely recommend both.